Senator John Kerry (D-MA), The 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, spoke out today about efforts of Wal-Mart advocacy group member to tie prominent Democrats to Hezbollah guerrillas. Herman Cain, a member of the Wal-Mart advocacy group Working Families for Wal-Mart repeatedly used the term "Hezbocrats" in an op-ed he wrote for Townhall.com.

Kerry referred to the attack as the "'Swiftboating' of Democrats who ask tough questions of big corporations. Kerry was referring to Swiftboat Veterans For Truth, the 527 organization which attacked Kerry's military record during the campaign.

Kerry's full statement follows....

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"Wal-Mart has a choice to make. Either denounce the unacceptable and offensive attacks made in their defense, or admit that they represent a proxy in Wal-Mart's lavish public relations war against its workers.

"Make no mistake, those who push and prod Wal-Mart to be a decent corporate citizen are standing up for the American worker. Decent wages and affordable health care aren't too much to ask for from the largest employer in the United States. Fifty-four percent of Wal-Martís employees are not covered under the companyís health insurance plan and 46% of the children of Wal-Martís employees are either uninsured or on taxpayer funded public assistance. That's over 700,000 Americans and their families who have been told by their employer they're on their own. Americans expect better than that from a company with $21 billion in profit and that's what this broad coalition is fighting for.Ē